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Random Thoughts for March

So the calendar has turned into March. Never mind that it’s hard to fathom that we’re already two months into 2008. This means one thing and one thing only: this is the best time of year for college basketball. It is this time of year that reminds me why the college game is considerably better and more entertaining than the pro version. I’m well aware that I recently wrote that I’m paying more attention to the NBA these days. That still holds true, especially this season when the Nuggets may end up holding the distinction of the most talented team ever to miss the playoffs. However, there is one thing the college game has that the NBA will never have, and that’s the passion involved in each game. Have you ever once seen NBA fans charge the court to celebrate a big win? No. Do NBA fans arrive at a game three hours early to secure the best seats? No. Do NBA games have raucous student sections that turn even the most mundane of matchups into an electric atmosphere? No.

As much as I despise Kansas basketball, and the hatred is evident if you get to know me for five seconds, I had to give a tip of the cap while watching their game against Texas Tech last night. It was senior night at Allen Fieldhouse, and as usual the place was packed. That atmosphere is what makes college basketball so great. Students at KU camp out for days to make sure they get seats for the next game, and regardless of the score (last night KU walloped Tech by 58 points) no one leaves the game early, ever. I’ve been to NBA games where the score is tied with three minutes left and people are heading for the exits to beat traffic. Seriously, how absurd is this? People don’t leave movies early, so why do they leave games early, even when it’s competitive at the end? That’s a rant for another time, but the point is you don’t see that kind of casual fan behavior at a college game. Every college game has an electric atmosphere, virtually anywhere in the country, that is simply not duplicated at the professional level. Even in a year where my Mizzou Tigers are just hovering over .500 at 15-14, I still pay much closer attention to the college season and in particular the Big 12 this time of year than I do any other sport. The NCAA tournament is a unique event on the sports calendar partly due to its unpredictability, but it’s the passion of each game that makes the event special. For me, the final few weeks of the regular season and the week of conference tournaments also provide the same intensity and excitement. No matter who your team is, no matter how poor a season they’ve had, there’s always that minuscule chance they could win their conference tournament and make the big party. That small chance alone makes the next few weeks of games worth watching.

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Have you seen some of these deals being shelled out in the early period of free agency in the NFL? I know it’s always a time where teams want to show their fans that they’re doing something to try and improve the team, but some of these deals are insane. How many of you out there have heard of Tommy Kelly? He’s a defensive tackle who last year had 30 tackles and one sack for the Raiders, and didn’t play a down after suffering a season ending injury in week 8 against Tennessee. The Raiders shelled out $50.5 million over five years to re-sign him. That’s an awful lot of money to shell out for one sack. Reports had some NFL GM’s saying, “Who is Tommy Kelly?” How about Justin Smith, defensive end formerly of the Bengals, getting $45 million over six years to sign with San Francisco? Smith had a whopping two sacks last year, and while talented, doesn’t seem like he’d be considered the so called missing piece to justify that kind of signing. The Jacksonville Jaguars clearly thought that two interceptions was worth $6 million a year, as that’s what they’re paying former Charger cornerback Drayton Florence. Seems as though the New England Patriots still have confidence in their more low key formula. They elected not to re-sign WR Donte Stallworth (who went to Cleveland), CB Asante Samuel (who got a 6 year $57 million contract from Philadelphia, although he at least intercepted six passes last year) and CB Randall Gay (who signed with New Orleans). These can be added to the list of big name players they have jettisoned in the past (David Givens, Deion Branch, Ty Law, Drew Bledsoe among them), and it’s a philosophy that seems to work for them. As successful as they’ve been, maybe the answer isn’t to spend every dime you have on free agents every winter. Then again, maybe the Patriots are just good at bargain hunting. Their 3 year $27 million re-signing of star receiver Randy Moss seems like the biggest bargain of the winter.

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Tonight Peter Forsberg returns to the Colorado Avalanche. I really hope that this isn’t just a public relations move to bring him back. If he is even 80 percent of the player he was before he left the club, then the Avalanche are about get a huge boost. Right now they are on the cusp of playoff contention, but if he can contribute, then they might just make a run. Last year felt weird without the Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but if they make it back this year with Forsberg and Adam Foote having just returned to the team, it will be just like old times.